A Wish Upon the Stars!
by katnipsc
Summary: She ignored it, he masked it, both suffered and bore it in silence, until they met one fateful night and she ran away, only to return, they parted ways thinking that they'd never meet again but little did they know that fate had something else in store for them! (a part of the 'VA does Disney' project).
1. chapter 1

"Alberta, get some rest, I'll be fine. It's you who needs to attend to Stan tomorrow early in the morning, so it'll be better if you are well rested."

For the past week Mr. Stan had been severely ill. I wanted to go check on him, but couldn't, daren't. It wasn't as if I was in a better condition, but Alberta had it worse. She was the caretaker of our house and Stan was the head of guard, and my personal guardian, serving under Pavel after Hans retired. I never really liked Stan much, but unlike me Alberta loved him to death.

It took me by surprise - the romance between the two, their reciprocation of emotions towards each other almost made me believe that love existed. The story of my parents, Janine and Abe, taught me quite differently. What they showed me was that it was need not affection, greed not care, fulfillment not love that made people stay in each other's company. For them it was nearly impossible to stay in same room for more than a few minutes, since ones very presence made the other irritated. Their aversion towards one another resulted in their lack of presence and their decisiveness to busy themselves with their respective job for the past eight years, thus I mostly grew up with Alberta as a mother figure and Lissa for a kind friend.

These days Alberta was torn between her duty and her desire. Though I had repeatedly told her to take a leave of absence, it wasn't of much use. She would have taken it and only cared for Stan if her duty didn't demand otherwise.

"No way am I leaving you alone in the mansion, unguarded, with both Stan and I off duty. How could you even suggest this Rose? Mr. Mazur would be aghast", she argued.

"Find a temporary guard then", I suggested.

She had brightened up upon my idea, but after interviewing some guards, gave up on it altogether, not deeming any of them fit for the role. Though Stan's absence had limited, almost restricted my interactions with the outer world, I decided against pressing upon the matter any further, considering that it would only add to Alberta's worries. However, that didn't stop me from taking other measures to ensure I wasn't tied to the mansion longer than I could bear.

As soon as the opportunity presented itself, I snuck out for a late night walk. Upon my return an hour later, I realized that no one had noticed my absence and all was fine. Naturally, daunted by my previous venture from a few nights ago, today I repeated the deed. I came to the decision to try my luck and actually stay out for a little while longer this time around, so I brought a backpack with snacks along with me.

Time passed insensibly as I lay on a bench beside the lake, in the park, observing the beauty of the moonlit night. The moment was surreal - the clear sky splashed with twinkling stars, the leaves rustling in the soft wind, the moon reflected in the still waters of the lake, seldom disturbed by movement of creatures that lived under its surface - it all made the world seem magical.

Sadly, the serene moment I was lost in, was rudely interrupted by a crack of a twig, the soft sound amplified in the silence, alerting me of the fact that I was no longer alone. I straightened up and cast a look over my shoulder only to realize I was correct, as, not moments later, a figure clad in black darted out from the shadows, grabbed my backpack and ran. What surprised me more than the fact that I had just been robbed of my possessions, was, that the actions of this person annoyed me instead of scaring me and I found myself running, not away, but towards this thief, chasing my beloved backpack, determined to get my snacks back.

I came to a halt when a rather large figure stepped in the path of the offender, causing him to come to an abrupt stop. Without a word, the man pried my backpack away from the aforementioned thief's hands and with a simple glare sent him scurrying away.

My presence hadn't escaped the man's attention either. He turned, heading towards me as my mind screamed at me to escape, get away from him as fast I could . However, I couldn't get my legs to move, I was transfixed, simply rutted to my spot from which I stared at man approaching me. I took in his features carefully: an intimidating height, shoulder length hair, a bearded face with a scraggly appearance and a brown duster to add to his scary presence.

When he was only a few steps away from me, I willed my limbs to action, ripping my backpack out of his grasp and dashing in the opposite direction without so much as a thank you or a simple look over my shoulder, hoping that the frightening man had no desire or patience to chase me.

With my heart beating out off my chest and my breaths coming out rapidly I tiptoed my way back into my home, gratefully noticing that Alberta and the rest of the staff was sound asleep. I made my way into my room, shut the door and slid down against it, winding up on the floor, contemplating about the events of the night that went sideways in the most unexpected way possible.

"Rose, open the door!! Rose!!", Alberta shouted in panic from the other side of the hard wood surface, banging on it hard as I tried to grasp onto lucidness.

This certainly wasn't a nice way to wake up, especially after the fright I had last night. For a few moments I was baffled by her actions. My door was never locked, so that allowed her, my tutor Sophie and Lissa to come and go as per their wishes, without so much as a need to knock, let alone attempt to unhinge the said door. The realization dawned on me as I briefly relived the fear coursing through my bones last night, the temptation to not only lock every door that separated me from the outside world, but also put numerous impediments between my bed and the entrance to my room.

I tumbled out of the bed, hurrying towards the key in the lock and turning it hastily. I swung the door open just before Alberta managed to hit it again, faced with her frightened expression and her fist lingering midair.

"Heavens child! What happened?", she exclaimed, taking in my ghastly appearance.

Tired as I had been, I hadn't had the chance to undress before sleep had claimed me. The result was visible in the numerous wrinkles that graced my clothes and a nest of curls sticking out in every direction from my head.

"Nope, nothing. I simply wanted to surprise you, so I got ready before bed and slept in these clothes, so that you wouldn't have a chance to complain that I wasn't ready for the day", I mumbled out a silly excuse cringing while I awaited Alberta's reaction.

She rose her eyebrows and stared at me for a while before finally submitting to the matter with a humph. I smiled in relief, wishing her good morning as she left nodding in amusement at my antics. I was glad that I had had at least enough mind to kick the shoes under the bed where they were hidden from Alberta's view.

It was while trying to tame the messy excuse for a hair that circled my face, that something odd struck me, something seemed off, unusual. As I pulled the brush through the strands at the front I caught a sight of my wrist. My empty wrist. I gasped, feeling tears well up in my eyes, as I realized that it was the very lack of something that actually caught my attention.

My bracelet was missing.

I dropped the brush and scratched at my wrist like that could somehow make the bracelet materialize before my eyes. Tears spilled over my cheeks as I accepted the fact that I had lost the most precious piece of jewelry I owned. It was my parent's gift to me for my eighth birthday and though I had despised it at first, at some point it became dear enough to me that I took it out of the jewelry box where it was stashed and put it on my hand, never taking it off again.

The bracelet was cute, a silver chain with several small white pearls attached to it. Over the years I had become used to the sound of these pearls tapping against each other, accompanying my movements and now, I missed it. Its beauty, however, wasn't what made it so dear to me. I treasured it greatly, for it reminded me of the time when we were truly a happy family. It symbolized the part of my life when my parents cared for me and each other, when they loved one another or at least claimed they did. Mind you, to the world, Mazurs were still a perfect, little, respectable family that stood as a pillar to the community, despite the harsh reality that differed from that picture quite a lot, a true and united family now nothing but a long lost dream and an illusion.

I knew that telling Alberta that I had lost the bracelet would have raised a lot of questions, the ones about my whereabouts during the previous night being the most pressing.

I desperately wanted to evade getting into trouble and I also wanted to avoid the park and the lake at all costs, for there was always a possibility of running into even more danger than I previously had. Thus I spent the whole day devising alternate and almost impossible ways and situations to find the bracelets in the most unexpected places:

It'll be in my shoes.

It'll be in my bag.

Let me check the stairs.

Was it in the washroom?

Perhaps I left it in the drawer after all.

I'll find it in the jewelry box.

I'll roll my sleeve up and it'll be there.

By the end of the day I had been forced to acknowledge the fact that I had no other choice but to do what I've been putting off for hours.

At exactly 2:45 am, I sneaked past the mansion's gates determined to get my bracelet back no matter what the cost.

For half an hour I scoured the road to the lake, checking around every stone, the inside of every hole and every millimeter of the short grass by the path I walked down.

By 3:45 am I had thoroughly checked the region by the lake and the bench where I had been prior to the theft of my backpack.

It was past four already when I finally stopped at the very spot where the tall man had intercepted the offender, and barely managed not to slump onto the ground in dejection. I had looked everywhere, but it was all in vain.

My mind raced, conjuring scenarios to add to my despair.

Somebody could have found it and kept it.

Some animal could have been drawn to it by its shine and taken it to its lair.

It might have fallen into the lake, though that was a possibility I highly doubted.

Someone might have thrown it in the trash considering it to be a waste.

Whichever it was it was certain - I had lost it forever, it was gone.

Completely defeated I turned to leave and go back home, only to find, someone standing in the shadows watching me. I instinctively reached into my pockets with sweaty palms, desperately digging through them find anything that could be used as a weapon if need be.

Sadly, I only found a hair clip. Gripping it tightly in my hand I thought that any weapon, even the one so small and probably harmless, was still better than none at all.

I courageously stood my ground, straightened up, cleared my throat and boldly demanding: "Who are you?"

The person, instead of speaking, simply stepped under the lamp, making my already fast beating heart skip a beat. It was him, the tall scraggly man in a duster.

"You!", I gasped digging my heels into the ground so I'd stop myself from backing away and showing him how petrified I actually was, "What are you doing here? Are you stalking me? You are stalking me, right?"

Anger was lacing my words, but when the man took another step towards me, my voice became a lot shakier than I'd like it.

"Who are you? Who are you working for? What do you-?"

My words were lost on me for a few moments when the man wordlessly held his hand out, slowly opened his palm to reveal my bracelet tucked in it. Staying silent was not something I exercised often so I quickly ordered:

"Give that back to me!"

It was very improper and rude of me to act this way, but my anxiousness got the better of me. The man seemed to be almost unfazed by my terrible behavior though, since he simply rose one of his eye brows, in a way that I had tried to do on several occasions but had failed terribly every time, and stayed unmoving in his silence.

Perhaps I've gotten ahead of myself and judged him too harshly. So far he had been kind of neutral and seemed to pose no threat. The fact that he had helped me when needed also hasn't exactly escaped my notice. 'Politeness is the least you can offer', spoke my conscience, making me feel guilty. With a sigh I finally added:

"Please."

"It's yours," he spoke calmly, lifting his hand slightly as if to show me that all I had to do was step forward and take what I wanted.

I did just that, moving slowly and watching him carefully to see if I could detect any malice, but his intentions seemed genuine. I reached into his palm gingerly, fixing his eyes as my hand ghosted over the bracelet.

"You don't want anything in return?", I questioned as I brushed the pearls with the tips of my fingers.

"No", he replied shortly.

I nodded more to myself than him before I took the bracelet and quickly latched it onto my wrist. With a barely audible thank you, I started to leave, but after taking a few steps decided to glance over my shoulder one last time. I was surprised to see that man still there, though now he sat under the lamp, looking up towards the sky. Unable to contain my curiosity per always, I found myself returning to him.

"Are you sure that you don't want anything in return, you've already helped me twice?"

The words slipped out before I could even think about them properly, so as expected only seconds later my mind started accusing me of foolishness. I should have walked away, any other person would have given the chance, but here I stood making small talk. He was helpful, sure, but his appearance, his timing and this place where we met were odd and creepy, the surroundings eerie enough to send a chill down your spine.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one baffled by the words that left my lips. He blinked up at me in awe for a few moments, taking some time in forming a coherent response. When he managed to speak I was more shocked by his request than I anticipated.

"May I kiss you?"

-o-

All rights belong to Richelle Mead.

There goes the first chapter.

Loved it? Hated it?

Would be great if you let me know.

The next chapter would be up tomorrow.

Have an amazing time ahead!

-Katnipsc :)


	2. chapter 2

My jaw almost touched the ground and I shook my head in disbelief. He must have interpreted my movements as a decline of his request since his face seemed to have fallen slightly. I felt a strange feeling come over me, seeing his disappointment, so without giving myself any time to change my mind I quickly blurted out:

"Yes."

His eyes shot up, widening as I proceeded to say in a calmer manner:

"Yes, you may."

After a slight pause he stood up and breathed out:

"Thank you."

However, he made no other movements, he just stayed glued to the same spot waiting, as if he was giving me time to change my mind or simply run.

When he noticed I made no attempts to do so , he stretched his hand forward, offering it to me carefully. I slipped my hand into his and felt a strange wave of calmness wash over me. It was soon followed by excitement and what I could only describe as happiness. All those feelings were quite different from the ones I expected - creepiness, awkwardness and perhaps even disgust.

His grip was surprisingly gentle for the giant that he was, the peck on my hand was feather-light and I found myself wishing he'd never stop kissing me.

I was almost ashamed of myself when I returned home at five in the morning when the household was already waking up for the new day that had started.

Making a faint excuse about a morning walk I headed to my room. I couldn't decide what to feel.

On one hand I was somewhat giddy that the man was so gentle and helpful. On the other hand I was embarrassed to have been rude to him and misjudged him. Also, I was rather sad that I'll probably never see him again. And lastly I was ashamed to have allowed myself to act without much thinking. The man was on a good behavior, otherwise much worse could have happened.

My thoughts preoccupied most of my day, so when the evening came I was completely unprepared for what was to happen. To my utmost surprise, I found none other than that very man talking to Alberta, in the garden. I wondered if he was here demanding to see me or demanding a return for his help.

The first thought pleased me while the second was dismissed too quickly to even be considered by me. I tossed and turned all night thinking about him.

Finally, my agony ended the following day when Alberta introduced me to my new guard, one she was pleased to have finally found. The name at last being put to the face. Dimitri Belikov. His eyes widening in recognition were the only signs that he remembered me, but all too soon his face reigned in all emotions while he greeted me.

"He was called by Stan, they are good friends and Mr. Belikov has a great record and comes highly recommended",

Alberta elaborated while we stared at one another, both equally confused by the impossibility of a situation as this to come to pass. It was a small, small world.

Stan's recommendation was probably enough to make Alberta approve of his skills, but I was certain he also underwent a careful examination by her, since she herself was a great judge of character and certainly showed scrutiny for such an important matter as picking my new guard.

As days passed, I realized that the man I had come across in the park was evidently present by body, but his emotions were nowhere to be seen. He was so very different than I had expected him to be, don't get me wrong, he was still just as gentle and polite towards me as before, yet something seemed broken.

Two weeks into duty and Dimitri never spoke more than the polite greetings that consisted of so few words. It appeared as if he was a mere shadow of himself. When I could stand it no longer, I took matters into my own hands.

"Dimitri, I'm bored", I stated out of nowhere one day.

He said nothing, as expected, but handed me the remote control of the television.

"No, I don't want to watch TV. Can we talk?"

He nodded, responding in affirmative. Two hours and a few minutes later, the smallest curve of Dimitri's lips made me realize that he has spoken only three words while I had presided over the rest of the conversation. It felt really good to talk and it was something about him that set me at ease and I made me feel like I could speak freely.

A week later when Stan returned to duty, I had been informed that Dimitri would continue to be my guardian since Stan had been allotted new duties. Abe, as expected, visited the mansion the following week.

He had what I believed to be a compulsive disorder. He required everything to be perfectly and timely adjusted and he claimed it to be the major reason for his success.

Even he seemed to be impressed upon interviewing Dimitri, so his approval of him didn't come as a surprise. What amused me though was the fact that Dimitri never worked to present himself in the best light possible, but only focused on working with impeccable patience and dedication. Still this aura around him caused people to acknowledge him and respect him, without him actually trying to elicit such a response.

I found myself wondering what played more of a part, the height or the intimidatingly calm but confident gait, in this impression he left upon people.

A month and a half into guarding me and Dimitri hadn't opened up to anyone, had not warmed to the surroundings, always aloof, always reserved, the only thing he seemed to focus on was his job.

One morning I woke up far earlier than usual and deciding to exercise went to the gym, only to find Dimitri there, completely occupied by training. I had observed him for some time and then left him undisturbed, hoping to find a way to get through to him soon. The only plausible way to approach him was seemingly by requesting him to train me. When he had reluctantly agreed, we worked together every morning.

Two months into the job and I had coaxed Dimitri into small talks. I got to know about his family, school and some things about his home town.

"I am very sorry, for my behavior", he stated one day during our practice, confusing me.

"What for?"

"For my inappropriate behavior in the park that night."

I was baffled by his sudden desire to discuss this matter. It was the first time he had addressed that night, over which he was now apologizing.

"There was nothing wrong about your behavior. You have nothing to apologize for. "

I replied, to which his eyes that generally shied away from mine shot up and genuine surprise and mild joy spread over his face .

In the days that followed emerged a man I grew to like. He went as far as to share common things with me and I drew comfort from the fact that he was at last letting me in!

"What weapon do you specialize in?", I questioned, as we accompanied each other during the laps around the compound.

He seemed surprised by my question, but quickly recovered and responded: "A gun."

"No, not that, apart from a gun?", I pressed curiously.

"What makes you think that I can use weapons other than guns?", he inquired curiously.

"One doesn't come 'highly recommended' unless they have many a great skills and the scars on your hands and those marks on your necks have to have a story behind them", I replied without a second thought.

"O", was his sole reply, as he hurried on leaving me behind.

For a moment I pondered if I was prying too much and if I had made a mistake by being so direct, but once our sparring session was over and we sat down on the mats chugging down water from our bottles he finally gave me a more adequate response: "I like handling blades, all of them, specially cutlass and knives."

"Don't sell yourself short comrade!", I exclaimed without being able to hide the excitement in my voice, "Can you show me how to handle knives?"

He considered my request for a moment before nodding. I hurried to the cupboard, not wanting to give him enough time to change his mind and reached into the hidden section which consisted of knives, sabers and daggers. He seemed quite impressed with the available selection of blades, his awe poorly concealed when he commented: "It has been a while since I've seen this fine a collection!"

"My Father and Uncle Pavel not only use, but also collect weapons" , I supplied, smiling awkwardly. I'd never thought I'd get to tell that to anyone.

It was decided that we would practice knife handling the following day, so we met in the garden deciding to practice on an old wooden target Dimitri had acquired seemingly out of thin air. The way he demonstrated the techniques made them all look like child's play, but upon trying them out I realized they weren't as easy as he made them appear. Dimitri gave me pointers, which I tried to work on, while he gathered the knives that hadn't hit their target and instead dropped in other places.

At some point one knife flew from my hand and a moment too late Dimitri realized it was going to hit a completely different target than I intended it to. He tried stepping out of its way, but at the last second changed his tactic using his quick reflexes to grab it instead. Blood oozed from the cut the knife had made as its blade had probably sliced his palm deep.

"Oh no! Are you alright? No, no, of course you aren't, I'm so sorry. Please let me see the cut", I babbled reaching him.

When he didn't seem like he will respond in any way, I grabbed his hand and pried open his clenched fist. A gasp escaped me at the sight of blood spilling over his skin. I removed the knife from his hand carefully, but before I could do more he pulled his hand from mine.

"Rose, it's nothing, just a small cut. I'll fix it, let it be", he stated, shying away.

"Nope, let me treat it! It won't be good for you if it gets infected", I argued , still feeling guilty for causing such a mess.

"It's alright. You don't have to. I'll just, it's just-."

"Of course I have to, it was my fault, let me treat it", I snapped, losing my patience.

"I'm fine. It's not-."

"Don't you dare tell me that it is nothing Belikov", I interrupted his words, dragging him towards the gym by his other hand.

Surprisingly he followed me without further complaint. Grabbing the first aid kit, some bottles of water and a big bowl I headed towards the wash basins, noisily dragging a chair along.

"Come here and sit down, will you?", I instructed to a startled Dimitri who stood awkwardly at the center of the gym, where I had left him.

Acceding to my request he gracefully folded his form, seating himself on the chair as I got to work on his injured hand. Carefully washing and disinfecting the cut, applying a little pressure to stop the bleeding, applying an antiseptic ointment, I finally wrapped the cut with a bandage.

"Here, all done ", I announced, looking up at Dimitri who looked…sad.

"I don't deserve this", he whispered, his eyes gluing to the floor.

"Why would you say that? What do you not deserve?"

"I don't deserve any of this, care, respect, your friendship, anything", he replied after a short pause, shaking his head.

"Yes, you do. You earned it", I argued in an attempt to comfort him.

"No!", he stated firmly, getting up from his chair and leaving the gym.

-o-

Thank you for all the favourites, follows and reviews!

See you people on Saturday!

Have an amazing time ahead!

-Katnipsc :)

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	3. chapter 3

I barely managed to catch up to him, just in time to stop him from locking himself in his room.

"Let me in just this once, please Dimitri don't do this to yourself. "

I pleaded, praying that all of the progress I had made with him won't go down the drain for something as stupid as this.

When his reluctance began to take over I forced my way into his room and locked the doors behind me. The sound of the door being locked caused him to look at me and yet again his eyes met mine with the sorrow clear in them.

"Please just leave me be, just this time", he begged, his voice quivering.

I had never seen him like this and it broke my heart. What I wouldn't do to fix this broken soul that I had grown to love. Love? So long I hadn't considered its existence and now here I was, with Dimitri whom I had only known for mere months. Was it only an infatuation, was it affection? I wondered if I would accept the true nature of my feelings towards this man, would he?

"Will you tell me what happened?", I asked him softly.

He sank down to the floor in dejection, leaned against his bed and with a deep sigh began narrating his story, with his hands resting on his knee and his head bowed down. He looked broken, small, as if he was trying to reduce his form to nothing, he looked like he was in pain.

Seven months ago a beloved friend and a long time charge of mine, died. I was off duty, went to a bookstore, when he was murdered in his residence. His cousin, yet another friend of mine, was severely injured and the guards on duty, killed.

By the time I returned to the Zeklos mansion it was a mess. What I saw there, it will haunt me for the rest of my life", he rambled, his eyes darting over the floor like he was watch his own story unravel before his very eyes.

"Three days later I returned home and found Ivan's cousin Tasha there. She blamed me for Ivan's death and the fact that she had no place left to go. The last of her living relatives was dead because of me. I stayed at home only for a night, for the next morning Tasha had packed up all of her belongings, and was ready to leave, but my mother insisted on her staying."

He stopped, like he was trying to catch a breath before his story continued and I had a feeling it was about to get much, much worse.

"Tasha was reluctant. She said she wouldn't want to be a burden and that it would be better if she was to leave, but my sister, Sonja, said that if anyone had to leave, it was me-", his voice broke, like simply repeating those words hurt him more than the blade slicing his palm had.

"Why should an innocent suffer for others fault?, were her exact words", he added, his mind visibly shifting to some dark thoughts he chose not to put into words.

If I had only known that at that moment he was drowning in his worst fears, thinking about the disgust in his sisters voice, of how it had shaken him from deep within to hear her speak of him like that. How burdening it was for him to see the very dislike that they all held towards their father to now be directed at him.

But I didn't know those things, because he didn't allow himself to even think of saying them out loud. I could sense them though, sense the weight of the situation in his heavy tone and the defeated look in his eyes.

"My mother had been against this notion, but two of my sisters, Vika and Sonja, supported Tasha", he proceeded swallowing down the lump in his throat enough to be able to finish the story.

"She was injured, had no shelter and my house was the last safe haven for her, so I couldn't ask her to leave. However, she was adamant about not wanting to live in the same house as me, so in the end it was I who had to leave."

I barely suppressed a gasp at his words, not believing what I was hearing. How could somebody be so cruel to a man as wonderful as him? Pulling his knees close to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them and rested his head on it and I found myself fighting the urge to descend on him and wrap him in my embrace.

"I had expected at least Yeva to support me or suggest an alternative, but even she had insisted on my departure. She told me to go do my job and stop wallowing. She was right, as always, but her words didn't hurt any less because of it.

When I called home a few days later, Vika was the one that answered. More bitter words had been spoken and I had been asked not to call again for they were better off without me. After that I couldn't gather the courage to call them again.

A few months later , Stan contacted me, so I came here, at the shortest notice possible and, well, you know the rest."

Everything seemed to stand still for a few brief moments, as we both just breathed in and out, waiting for the other one to do something. When he finally looked up at me, his eyes were tinged with red as tears threatening to spill. The sight of him in pain rendered me even more speechless than I already was.

The man who always looked so strong and dependable was crumbling on the inside. How could I have not noticed it before? Was he truly that good at hiding it, quietly bearing all sorrow and guilt alone, suffering for the things that had truly been out of his control?

"My friend died because I was careless, my family hates me, people are intimidated by me, some are repulsed by the mere sight of me and I've been compared to my father", he almost shouted the last word, like it was somehow the most disgusting one he has used ever since he started his confession.

"If this doesn't confirm the fact that I am a monster, what does?"

I opened my mouth desperately wanting to reassure him, convince him that he was so very wrong, but no words came out. He was obviously quick to misinterpret my silence for the very repulsion he was convinced everyone felt for him and so, with a malicious smile he added:

"Now you realize what kind of a monster I truly am."

In a manner of minutes his face went blank and then something happened, something that shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did. He was constantly quicker at grasping the situation and handling it way better than I ever could. I knew that, but I was still surprise by it. He veiled his emotions and pulled himself together to the best of his capabilities, standing up hastily as he spoke in a detached tone:

"I'm very sorry. This was quite unprofessional of me. I'll make sure this kind of blunder never repeated ."

He walked back to the door and was just about to unlock it, when I finally pushed out:

"You are not a monster!"

He froze and I took a step towards him, feeling my entire body shake.

A thousand thoughts had been racing through my mind. I wondered what I should say to comfort him, to lessen his hurt:

'It wasn't your fault that Ivan died.';

'I'll knock some sense into your sisters and Yeva, whoever she is. I'll talk to them, make them see they are mistaken.';

'You are a good man and deserve nothing but good things.';

'Tasha is at fault, not you.';

'Please don't shut me out.';

'Better days would come and this dark and ugly time would soon pass!'

A thousand thoughts, but none of them good enough.

The laugh that erupted from his chest shocked me. I had never seen Dimitri like this, something about this laugh irked me. This wasn't Dimitri.

"No need to coddle me, I know that even you think that I am a horrible person. I had seen you flinch when we met at the park. I had seen the fear in your eyes."

When he turned to look at me, the sheer gaze send a shiver down my spine. I had seen Dimitri tired, annoyed, frustrated, sad, surprised, amused, angry, but right here, right now I knew this wasn't him.

The guilt and melancholy that had been weighing him down were taking their toll and the effect was finally showing. The tears that had so long been held back finally spilled from his eyes, as the smirk gave way to a frown and then, dismay.

"I tried everything", he cried out in a mix of anger and despair, "Everything I could think of to make up for it, but the guilt doesn't lessen and I am tired, so tired of it all. I see Ivan die, in... in my nightmares again and again.

Sometimes I kill him, sometimes somebody else does it while I stand witness.

Other times it's my family that I'm hurting like my father did so many times, I inflict pain on them and I just can't stop, I can't wake up. It's hard to know that they hate me, for I had never wanted this.

I had never expected this to happen.

It wasn't supposed to happen.

It wasn't supposed to turn into a massacre, it was our night of the week, a night where we'd gather and relax and I could be a friend more than a guardian. It was just-."

Dimitri's voice was reduced to mere mumble as he spoke, after which he simply stood with the tears streaming down his face, opening his mouth to say something with nothing coming out.

The look in his eyes scared me. It was that of a lost man, staring beyond me but at nothing particular, it was as if he was desperate for relief, comfort, assurance.

After what seemed like forever he whispered:

"I never wanted to be a monster like him, but it's exactly what I've become."

Being a witness to Dimitri's suffering pained me, enough for my body to will itself to action without my mind even commanding it to. I stepped up, embracing him and was surprised to see that he returned the gesture, tightening his hold on me, pulling me closer to him and burrowing his head in my hair, seeking the comfort he so desperately needed.

"You are the furthest thing from a monster Dimitri, the furthest thing", I whispered, rubbing his back gently, "You'll see that you are wrong about yourself, you'll see that it'll all work out. We'll work it out."

He nodded uttering a small thank you as neither of us even tried to pull away. In this moment I realized this is what true care felt like. I cared for Dimitri, far more than I had expected. In a few months he had made a place in my heart, we had developed a sort of understanding, which made this moment comfortable and peaceful, despite the horrific things that had formed a need for such a moment. I was happy to acknowledge this for the time being.

A few minutes later Dimitri pulled away and sobered up, quickly saying:

"You should go, you have breakfast to attend to. I'll catch-up with you soon."

"You need to be careful with that Comrade", I said, pointing towards his bandaged hand, the source of this event almost forgotten in the midst of all of heartbreak.

I was reluctant to leave, but after multiple reassurances from Dimitri, who stated that he was utterly grateful for my help and would be fine, I finally did as he asked.

-o-

See you on Tuesday folks!

And to the guest who reviewed:

'Thanks for reading and reviewing, I'm glad to know that you are enjoying it!'

And a big virtual hug to all my readers!


	4. chapter 4

In the days that followed Dimitri became more open and though one couldn't yet call him a cheerful person, he had spent more time smiling and being jovial.

I could almost read his emotions and it made me rejoice. My happiness, however, was short lived since, only two weeks later, I slipped down the stairs and injured my foot and right hand.

I had had an argument with my mother over the fact that she wasn't willing to let me pursue my plans to travel to Russia, the plans that Dimitri was in dark about.

When she had outright refused my proposal without any justification or consideration, I had stormed out of her room, trying to put as much of a distance between me and her as possible.

In the rush, I had slipped down the ornate staircase and one of the many beautiful vases that decorated the coves in the wall, toppled, landing on my hand. As a result I had been confined to bedrest for a week.

"Roza, you need to eat something, otherwise you'll never regain your strength and recover", Dimitri argued worriedly, standing beside my bed, as I sulked.

"Where is Alberta, shouldn't you be on duty?", I questioned, ignoring his plea.

"I am only duty and I've been given this job since you've been pointedly ignoring everyone else, after your conversation with Mrs. Hathaway - Mazur", he elaborated with a sigh.

"Don't try to simplify things Dimitri! It was hardly what you could call a conversation.

She has been absent from my life for years, so she should have realized that it would cost her something. She has lost her rights to interfere with my life. She never cared, so she doesn't have to start pretending like she does now. "

I snapped, the anger I have been bottling up spilling out in a string of words.

"I get that, but it has been three days since the incident and, above all, she is your mother and mothers never stop caring for their children, though they might not be able to show it" , he preached, standing his ground, "Besides, anger is no reason to starve yourself to death."

I had recently come to realize that this man had a habit of stating profound things for answers. I called it 'the Zen lessons'. I would never admit it publicly, but I liked it.

Since Dimitri's breakdown I had started to read him better, but I wasn't alone in this newly acquired ability. He was becoming the person I relied on and was developing an uncanny talent of manipulating me and molding me, my words and thoughts. I was becoming as open a book as he was to me. Caving in to all his reasoning, I had the lunch. And Dimitri returned the empty plates to the kitchen, smiling all the way.

I was watching a random show on television that night, rather sulking at the TV yet again, for Baba had organized a family dinner that had to be cancelled at the last moment. It was something I had been looking forward to for the past month and a half, only to be informed that it had been cancelled an hour before it was supposed to be held.

"You should go to sleep now, Rose", Dimitri commented from the background.

"Why are you here? Your shift ended an hour ago. Its twelve thirty at night, for god's sake Dimitri go and take some rest, you don't have to work 24-7."

"Don't try to distract me. It won't work. You need to rest, in order to recover", he almost chided.

"I just want to be alone. Please leave me be Dimitri, I'll sleep... sometime tonight", I pleaded, too exhausted to argue with him any longer.

He slightly cocked his head to a side as if he was seeing something for the first time, then just raised an eyebrow and nodded leaving the room, leaving the door ajar. After he had gone, I let myself cry, the family picture clutched in my hands, the tears flowed unbidden, as a smiling Mazur family peered at me from the small frame. The picture was years old, more than a decade, taken when I was only seven, at our home in Hawaii. Nothing was the same now. Baba never called me kiz anymore, just Rose. He barely ever saw me and to remember how great it had been to have him around, how often we used to work on small projects together. But gone were those days. No more did we have our week nights, nor did we have our monthly outing. He never used to miss my birthdays, but now just gifts and cards accompanied by flowers were left to replace his presence. I wondered if he realized that those things would never be able to make up for his absence.

The gloom that shrouded me, was such that I didn't notice Dimitri come back into my room. He embraced me and I cried my heart out, while he rubbed soothing circles on my back, whispering thing in Russian, adding a word or two in English here and there, the word repeated the most - Roza.

"Rose, you need to sleep", he whispered into my hair when I finally calmed down.

"I can't, I've been cooped up in this room for far too long. I need to go out", I breathed out, trying to wipe the evidence of my earlier breakdown.

"It's two at night", he exclaimed.

"Like that's a valid reason Comrade", I scoffed, trying to get up from the couch and wincing as the pain shot through my limbs.

The pain didn't stop me though as I stubbornly made my way out of the room. Dimitri was quick to come to my aid, I had hardly limped down two stairs when he carefully lifted me off the floor and carried me all the way down.

When we reached the ground floor I released a breathe I didn't even know I was holding and then, a second later, my breath hitched as I realized how close I was to Dimitri and that he still hadn't put me down. Looking at his face, I saw him staring at me, as if he was mesmerized. I was entranced as I peered into those deep brown eyes. But, as luck would have it, my impromptu sneeze burst our bubble.

"Where to?", he questioned sincerely, completely avoiding looking at me.

"Garden, behind the mansion, beside the old workshop", I instructed, feeling my cheeks still burn slightly .

That place was my solace, my go to place when I was sad, my haven. I had spent hours here creating memories I treasure, having fun and just being me.

The workshop was our base, where Baba and I planned and worked on our projects, which was the very reason why I was so attached to it. And the garden surrounding it used to be tended by mum. Now of course she visited it only once in a while.

Luck was on my side, it was yet another moonlit night. Dimitri gently put me down on the bench beside the rose bushes. The white and red roses added a sweet fragrance to the air. I tried getting up once again and it hurt, but I stopped Dimitri from helping me, I needed to do it alone. I couldn't stop him from shadowing me though.

"Roza, you just need to talk to them and it'll all be better."

"Don't you think I tried?", I mumbled as I stood quietly observing the old shed.

Gathering courage, I unlocked the door and moved in. Dimitri stayed behind until I turned around and glanced through the door asking: "Why did you stay outside?"

"I didn't want to invade your private moment", he explained, moving closer since he probably understood my question offered an open invitation.

'Ever the gentleman', supplied my mind.

Switching on the old, small bulb I couldn't stop a grin from spreading across my face. We were surrounded by several tools stacked and arranged neatly, there were small models, of houses, statues, birds, animals and flowers made of plaster, plasticizer, clay, paper, cardboard and various other things. It was safe to say we loved to experiment. On the left wall hung a pin board consisting of various images, cards, newspaper cuttings, handmade drawings and so on. It was in here, between these walls, that my childhood was preserved in the best ways.

"You made these?", he asked, making me wonder if he was amazed or rather amused.

"We made it together, Baba and I", I supplied smiling.

"That is adorable.'

' Cute.'

' Nice.'

' Creative", Dimitri commented as I pointed at various creations and animatedly went on to tell the tale of how they came to be.

By the time I was done, my mood had completely shifted and I was elated.

"I am sorry for keeping you from resting", I apologized to Dimitri, as I locked the workshop behind us and stood looking at it one last time before I left.

"Beautiful", he whispered.

"What?", I asked turning around, only to find him standing right behind me.

The abruptness of my movements as I stumbled straight into him caused me to lose my fragile balance. I was expecting another jolt of pain to surge through my body as I started to fall, but nothing came for Dimitri had been quick, grabbing me by my waist as my left hand instinctively latched onto his shoulder.

He supported my weight until I stood up, but neither of us pulled away. My breath hitched yet again as I felt a sense of deja vu. We were so close, I could almost imagine the taste of his lips and I wanted those lips right against mine more than anything. But I was afraid to move, for I didn't want to break the spell we were in and scare him away.

He took me by surprise when he gingerly leaned in, so much that I could barely remember how to breathe. The moment he closed the remaining distance between us, a feeling unlike any I had felt before began to take over my senses. There was nothing else in the world, nothing except for Dimitri. Nothing but his hands ghosting over my back, his fingers settling in my hair, the taste of his lips better than anything I have ever tasted, the warmth radiating from his body as he pressed closer to me and pushed me back against the workshop wall.

And then the pain shot through me again as the rough and firm wall dug into my back, making me wince. That wince acted like a bucket of cold water, washing away the moment of serenity. Dimitri jumped back as if he had been hit by a bolt of lightning, his face showing how aghast, scared and ashamed he was.

"I am so sorry", he exclaimed, his expression showing just how much he loathed himself for what he has done, "It was wrong. It was so unjust, uncalled for. I didn't want to take an advantage of your state, please forgive my misbehavior."

That horrifying lost look I saw for the first and the last time when he had that heartbreaking meltdown returned to his eyes. I wanted desperately to make it go away as fast as possible so, before he could proceed apologizing for something he didn't even realize I wanted just as much as he did, I closed the distance between us, standing on my tiptoes and gluing my lips back to his. I was desperate to feel that same intimacy we had a few moments prior and was terrified that he's changed his mind about what he desired when his body went ridged and he did nothing to participate.

Seconds passed and my heart seemed to have stopped beating altogether before I felt him move, pulling me closer to himself, supporting a part of my weight with one of his hands around my waist, while the other snaked into my locks, tilting my head. It was as if he breathed life into me and I gasped in relief just in time to allow him to deepen the kiss. Our lips parted when we were too dizzy to ignore the cries our lungs made for air.

We didn't stop for too long, we couldn't stop, but the kiss that followed was sweet, gentle and calming. It was as if the first showed his passion while the next was the proof of his love. The kisses after that were a mix of both. By the time we stopped we were panting and the smile that graced Dimitri's face was unlike any I had seen before, it was as if he had become radiant with joy.

"What did you call beautiful?", I spoke breathless, as I pressed my forehead against his, sharing the same breath.

"You", he answered without a second thought.

His confession stole my breath away for the millionth time this night and made warmth seep into my cheeks. I had been called various things, both good and bad, but never beautiful.

"Do you really mean it?"

"You are beautiful, so beautiful that it hurts."

We returned to my room hand in hand, smiling. The silence that had prevailed was a comfortable one, a pleasant one. It was interrupted by his shy question:

"Do you think we can make it work?"

"We will I guess, but you might have to fight for me knight, for the other suitors wouldn't take to it very kindly, nor would the king", I replied playfully, pretending to be the princess I once believed myself to be.

"Of course, milady", he responded, playing along.

"I hope you have a good rest your highness", he added with a small bow and left.

The following morning I dropped my phone on my breakfast plate, for I was shocked out of my wits. I would certainly not have recognized the person descending the stairs had it not been for the duster.

"Good morning Rose, morning Alberta", he greeted as he joined us at the table.

I was at a loss of words.

"You are not very old. What are you twenty four?", I asked him quite rudely, when we were back in my room.

"Twenty five, actually", he corrected.

"The beard made you look older. Not that you look too bad now, yet. "

I almost accused.

I would be kidding if I said he looked anything but god-like. He looked good with the beard, but that was when he never cared for his appearance. Now, with the beard shaven clean and his hair neatly tied at the nape of his neck, with a few loose strands framing his face, he looked delicious.

"What made you change your mind?", I added almost immediately.

"You said that I might have to fight for you, so I figured, why not use some of the tricks I have in my arsenal", he answered with a mischievous smile.

I sat facing him with a smile on my face thinking back to the fateful night we had come across each other. Our story was almost like a fairy tale. I was the princess, he was my prince, we had over come some troubles and fallen for each other in the process , hoping to work for a happily ever after. I laughed out loud at the striking resemblance, confusing Dimitri, and when he asked what had happened, all I could say was ," the princess and the frog".

-The end.

Hello folks,

So the journey of ', A Wish Upon The Stars', comes to an end . The end, revealed the Disney Movie, the short story was inspired by. I hope you enjoyed it, and I thank you for all the hearty support that has come my way.

A huge thanks to Tia995, for not only having pre-read, but also beta-ing the story, my unending gratitude for her. So go to her profile people, check out her awesome stories!

To the guest who reviewed:

I'm humbled by your support, hope you enjoyed the Romitri moment in this chapter.

Want to see what I had imagined Dimitri to be like?

Go visit my facebook page at:

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You can always go and check out my other stories, while I work on a new story for the 'VA does Disney' project!

Hoping to hear from you soon!

-katnipsc :)


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